Land returns always bring a sense of restored relations to the land and each specific property tells a part of the story. With the return of the Medicine Wheel property to the Mi’kmaq Nation, it expands tribal territory,  respects sovereignty, and creates new opportunities for their community. Starting with the land itself, the 103 acre property is very diverse, including 27 acres of agricultural fields, around 70 acres of forest, and wetlands, and has over 800 feet of shore frontage on the mouth of Big Brook and Long Lake. Much like for conservation groups, connecting new parcels of land to existing ones has many benefits and it’s no different here. Situated on Long Lake, the Mi'kmaq Nation already had one property but the acquisition of Medicine Wheel expands their access to the entire west side of the lake’s mostly undeveloped shorefront. This does many things, for one, it provides better access to existing Mi’kmaq territory by adding a new eastern right of way and eliminates a paper right of way easement for a third path that crossed existing Tribal land. With better access, this property also creates new opportunities for the Mi’kmaq as it also represents the first land acquisition with significant access to water for fishing and recreating. Lastly, this return respects the sovereignty of the Mi’kmaq Nation by creating no restrictions on the use of the Property and none are included in the purchase contract.